Dallas Mavericks Blog

Mavericks swingman Josh Howard said he still has soreness in his left ankle

Mavericks swingman Josh Howard made his season debut Saturday night in a 129-101 victory over Toronto. He started and scored 16 points in 24 minutes in his first game back after recovering from off-season left ankle surgery.

“I was nervous as hell out there,” Howard said. “But after I made my first couple of free throws, I was able to tough it out.”

Howard said he played Saturday with a “small cast” on his left ankle. He said the soreness is still there and it worsened deeper into the game.

“It’s just something that’s going to happen for right now, with the fatigue and cutting,” Howard said. “I’ve built it up enough that I can play 30 minutes, 25 minutes, but after that, it’s going to be tough. I don’t want to overexert myself. I don’t want to fall back. I just want to keep going forward.”

HOT SHOTS

The Mavericks scored a season-high 129 points on a season-best 62.4 percent shooting from the field. They shot 74.4 percent from the field in the second half. Last season, Dallas’ season-high field goal percentage in a game was 60.3 against Miami. Since 1991-92, the Mavericks have had only three better-shooting nights in a game: